126 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 



nosed monkey of the west coast ; the Diana monkey of 

 West Africa. These are only some of our family. There 

 are dozens more. 



HABITS AND CUSTOMS 



We monkeyfolk have habits and customs, just like you 

 humanfolk. I told you before, I think, that we live in 

 tribes or clans, and look upon the members of any other 

 clan or tribe as enemies. The humanfolk, whom you call 

 uncivilised or savage, do just the same. If at any time they 

 happen to surprise an individual of any other tribe, they 

 try their best to kill him. So do we. Savage humanfolk 

 have, I suppose, inherited that trait of character from us 

 monkeyfolk. Sometimes we spy a scout of another tribe 

 scouting around. We lay our plans, and do our best to 

 capture him. If we succeed we take his life. They say 

 " Self-preservation is the first law of Nature." So it is. 

 We are intensely suspicious of all strangers. We always 

 suspect them of having evil designs upon us. It takes a lot 

 of evolving, I am told, to outgrow this habit of thought. 

 Only the very highest and noblest of the humanfolk family 

 have succeeded so far. Most humanfolk have not. It is 

 said that if you are honest, upright, and straightforward 

 yourself, you must necessarily think the same of others. 

 If you are selfish, tricky, dishonest, and hypocritical yourself 

 then, of course, you will imagine everybody else to be the 

 same. 



ESCAPED SLAVES 



Sometimes monkeyfolk escape from their human captors, 

 and make off into the bush. They are not happy, because 

 they^'are compelled to lead solitary lives, for they dare not 

 try to join any tribe of monkeyfolk. Once we came upon 



